Happiness all Around Us …

 

Everywhere I went today, people were talking about how weird their day was, or how odd they felt, or what crazy things were going on around them. I love hearing these stories, don't you? No one seemed to be particularly upset about these odd events in their lives. The checker at the grocery store was almost giddy when relating a few events from her day. Once again proving that things are either stressful or exciting, maddening or fun, according to your interpretation and perceptions! I'm not going to go into the weird things which happened in my world today, but I feel the need for some Deva Premal chants. Here's one for you, too! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlnHON3tAXo

"Happiness is spiritual, born of truth and love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it." 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 57

“To be wholehearted you must be happy. If fear and love cannot coexist, and if it is impossible to be wholly fearful and remain alive, the only possible whole state is that of love. There is no difference between love and joy. Therefore, the only possible whole state is the wholly joyous. To heal or to make joyous is therefore the same as to integrate and to make one. That is why it makes no difference to what part or by what part of the Sonship the healing is offered. Every part benefits, and benefits equally.” 

A Course in Miracles T-5.in.2:1-7

The Bridge of Return

Brought forth from the creative mind of

Sandy Wythawai Starbird

A new year brings excitement, as we dream of how everything can change and be made new. I listen to and read the writings of Eckhart Tolle regularly, and A New Earth is one I frequently revisit. The idea that we are transcending the thoughts which bind us, evolving to another stage of consciousness, is very exciting! The possibility of stepping out of habitual thought and living in the present moment can be frightening to those of us who are accustomed to living for the future. Perhaps, with the busy-ness of our thinking, we have lost the connection with our sense of being, the intelligence which is more than thoughts in our head. Now is the time to move into another stage of evolution, allowing consciousness to release our addiction to circular thinking. For humanity to continue its evolution, we must transcend the mind, going beyond the compulsion to think and realizing a deeper level of being. This evolutionary transformation of consciousness is no longer a luxury, but a necessity if we are to survive. Giving up beliefs and interpretations which we have assigned to everything clears the way for the thought-expanding ideas which will lead us to exactly where we need to be, doing what needs to be done. What an exciting time to be alive! 

"The enslavement of man is not legitimate. It will cease when man enters into his heritage of freedom, his God-given dominion over the material senses."

Science & Health Page 228:11-13

“Evolution is a process in which you seem to proceed from one degree to the next. You correct your previous missteps by stepping forward. This process is actually incomprehensible in temporal terms, because you return as you go forward. The Atonement is the device by which you can free yourself from the past as you go ahead. It undoes your past errors, thus making it unnecessary for you to keep retracing your steps without advancing to your return. In this sense the Atonement saves time, but like the miracle it serves, does not abolish it. As long as there is need for Atonement, there is need for time. But the Atonement as a completed plan has a unique relationship to time. Until the Atonement is complete, its various phases will proceed in time, but the whole Atonement stands at time’s end. At that point the bridge of return has been built.” 

A Course in Miracles - T-2.II.6:1-10

Pure of Heart…

How do allegations of misconduct affect people, whether founded in truth or a malicious lie? After watching the 2019 Christmas special from Garrison Keillor (complete with his Prairie Home Companion entourage) I realized that this man is one of the best storytellers of all time. His delivery, his voice, the way he gives us outlandish details in an impromptu fashion, never boring us with these additions. But in the back of my mind, making itself known then and again, was the thought that he had been accused of sexual harassment. How could such a funny, friendly guy be a jerk? After examining this from many angles, I feel all right enjoying his show, although I won't forget he may be in disguise. I’m reminded of the ancient ritual of a village surrounding a wrong-doer, with everyone recounting the good they know about the accused. Anyone can become as innocent as the day they were born, make amends for the illusions which they perpetrated, and go forward as a new person. Happy New Year!

“So will the year begin in joy and freedom. There is much to do, and we have been long delayed. Accept the holy instant as this year is born, and take your place, so long left unfulfilled, in the Great Awakening. Make this year different by making it all the same. And let all your relationships be made holy for you. This is our will. Amen.” 

A Course in Miracles T-15.XI.10:8-14

“Willingness to become as a little child and to leave the old for the new, renders thought receptive of the advanced idea. Gladness to leave the false landmarks and joy to see them disappear, — this disposition helps to precipitate the ultimate harmony. The purification of sense and self is a proof of progress. ‘Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.’”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science and Health Page 323:32-7

Ever-Flowing Forever

Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs, AR

Photo courtesy of Richard Quick

Don't we all love new beginnings? Every symbolic new beginning we experience gives hope that there truly will be one this time. We yearn for peace and plenty, purity of heart and environment, joy, satisfaction. Sometimes we catch glimpses of what it could be like. I felt a big shift on New Year's Eve in the year 2000. There was a palpable expectation of change, and now, two decades later, I feel it is upon us. A true new beginning is at hand -- your hand and mine, today, right now. Let’s not be distracted by ego-based taunting to play the game being enacted all around us. By giving energy to the lower propensities, we remain stuck in this muddle of material belief. Raising thought above what cries out so loudly for attention, we allow ourselves a new beginning in every situation. Ah, ever-flowing forever — now!

“The infinite has no beginning. This word beginning is employed to signify the only, — that is, the eternal verity and unity of God and man, including the universe.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 502:24-27

"Be not afraid. We only start again an ancient journey long ago begun that but seems new. We have begun again upon a road we travelled on before and lost our way a little while. And now we try again. Our new beginning has the certainty the journey lacked till now. Look up and see His Word among the stars, where He has set your Name along with His. Look up and find your certain destiny the world would hide but God would have you see." 

A Course in Miracles C-ep.3.

Peace Is Our Gift To Each Other

 

Art created by J. Clement Wall

JudyClementWall.com

Praying for peace — I think we are all doing this in our individual way. It is extremely painful to see the ravages of war. It’s difficult to face and understand the unrest within the United States over more things than I care to count. With this in mind, I offer you quotes on peace today.   Namaste …

"We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate - thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising."

 Maya Angelou

"Peace is our gift to each other." 

Elie Wiesel

"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures." 

John F. Kennedy

"There is no time left for anything but to make peace work a dimension of our every waking activity." 

Elise M. Boulding

"Every year at this time, an important phrase marks the season: peace on earth and goodwill towards men. It's so common we sometimes forget about what it really means - that we strive for a world without war, a society where we respect and help our neighbors, a place where we protect and uplift our most in need. This isn't a phrase we should live by for one day or one month. It's a set of values that must bond and motivate us every day." 

Dennis Kucinich

“We cannot give what we do not have: We cannot bring peace to the world if we ourselves are not peaceful. We cannot bring love to the world if we ourselves are not loving. Our true gift to ourselves and others lies not in what we have but in who we are.”

Marianne Williamson

"The calm and exalted thought or spiritual apprehension is at peace. Thus the dawn of ideas goes on, forming each successive stage of progress." 

Mary Baker Eddy 

“Illusion meets illusion; truth, itself. The meeting of illusions leads to war. Peace, looking on itself, extends itself. War is the condition in which fear is born, and grows and seeks to dominate. Peace is the state where love abides, and seeks to share itself. Conflict and peace are opposites. Where one abides the other cannot be; where either goes the other disappears. So is the memory of God obscured in minds that have become illusions’ battleground. Yet far beyond this senseless war it shines, ready to be remembered when you side with peace.” 

A Course in Miracles

Birthing New Thought

San Francisco, CA - photo courtesy of Aaron Springston

At times, we all feel overwhelmed by life's circumstances -- or, at least, I know I do. Everything seems easier to me now, with grown children, no daily jobs to show up for, and most arduous demands gone from my days. But sometimes things happen and we are drawn into them. I have a friend whose life has been turned upside down when least expected. How do we cope when an illness befalls us or our loved ones, changing the rhythm of life we cherish? Of course, we do what we must, and we pray for strength and guidance, and we listen for answers in whatever form they may appear. This is not an easy task -- but really, what is our choice? To all of us who are afraid, perhaps angry, feeling put-upon unnecessarily, overwrought by things beyond our control -- just breathe. Breathe deeply and find something to be happy for, an idea to be peaceful about. Sometimes we must release a problem in order to find its resolution. We can't change the situation, but we can change our thought about it. Love to you, each and every one, during this season of newborn thought!

“Love is freedom. To look for it by placing yourself in bondage is to separate yourself from it. For the Love of God, no longer seek for union in separation, nor for freedom in bondage! As you release, so will you be released. Forget this not, or Love will be unable to find you and comfort you." 

A Course in Miracles T-16.VI.2.

“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good.”

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 494:10-14

Open The Doors to Your Heart

Camaraderie Amongst Friends

At times, events in and around our lives can feel overwhelming. The best emotional reset activity I know of is laughing with good friends. Every month or two, three women and I have an afternoon of playing spades and enjoying each others' company. We always feel renewed and happy after these times, and look forward to the opportunity to get together again as soon as possible. Many people, for many reasons, have not been able to cultivate lasting friendships, and I want to assure them that it's never too late! Reach out to people when you have a good feeling about them, whether you know them well or not. Companionship, stimulating conversation, a common cause such as animal welfare  -- there are many foundations on which to enjoy communion with others. Don't be afraid to open the door!

"You rest within the peace of God today, and call upon your brothers from your rest to draw them to their rest, along with you. You will be faithful to your trust today, forgetting no one, bringing everyone into the boundless circle of your peace, the holy sanctuary where you rest. Open the temple doors and let them come from far across the world, and near as well; your distant brothers and your closest friends; bid them all enter here and rest with you." 

A Course in Miracles W-pI.109.8

“With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.” 

Mary Baker Eddy - Science & Health Page 469:30-5